Comic Dance Festival / June 9, 2015 by Tyler Wood

An empty stage, brightly lit, sits empty. Then a shoe flies from stage left right into the middle of the stage. Then another shoe, and another. By the end of the opening sequence a street shoe stall had been thrown onto the stage and then seemingly confused ajjumas appear and act as if they are shopping with a male barker helping them find the shoes of their dreams. They put their shoes back on and the group of about 10 ajjumas, one ajoshi, and a random young guy slowly begin to enter a drum circle, it seems, and start hippie interpretive dancing to Korean trot music. At one point they have a circle mirror dance going where everyone is following the unchoreographed moves of one of their own at a music stand before that devolves into a conga line that includes random ass slaps.

Halloween Exotic Dance Party / November 11, 2014 by Tyler Wood

This was the second year I have been able to attend Hellow Pinup Star Pole & Exotic Dance Halloween Party in Cheongdam. This is a more intimate performance than the Korea Pole Sport Championship and less stress for the performers. It is a much more relaxed and encouraging environment. Many of the performers were students, in fact. The show got kicked off with a bang with the T.I.P. Crew putting on a breakdance clinic. Including some pretty amazing moves from a guy missing a leg. It was a better performance than the one they did for the KPSC show. More intricate and in sync.

Korea Pole Sport Championship / October 9, 2014 by Tyler Wood

On September 27th at Kookmin University, past the children in amoeba-shaped groups hovering over a soccer ball on a field and their attentive parents with drinks to rush to them at half-time, was something far more interesting. A sport that includes large colorful eyelashes, six-pack abs, and a vertical pole. It wasn’t pole vaulting, it was one of the largest pole dancing events in Korea - The Korea Pole Sport Championship.

National Museum of Korea (국림중앙박물관) / January 23, 2010 by Tyler Wood

The National Museum of Korea is enormous. I have been there three times now, and I still haven’t seen everything. It reminds me of the British Museum in London, except I don’t feel like everything housed here should be in other countries. It is located just a minute walk from Ichon station a little out of downtown. It is really a nice location. You can see the N. Seoul Tower sitting atop Namsan just through the open space of the Museum and the whole area is very open compared to the rest of the city, so it is relaxing to be there.

Jjimjilbang (찜질방) / November 23, 2009 by Tyler Wood

The jjimjilbang is the Korean version of Turkish baths. I have never been to a Turkish bath, but I understood the idea. I was about to walk into a room full of naked Korean men and attempt to walk while staring at the ceiling. I was expecting to get into the place, get undressed and get in the showers and then put on the outfits they give us and go into the baths in the coed place. That is what I was expecting.

Land of Amusement - Seoul Theme Park Review / October 24, 2009 by Tyler Wood

Coming to Seoul as a visitor you may not consider going to an Amusement park because you think you will be busy seeing historic and cultural artifacts and architecture - and you may be right - but I am here indefinitely, and I love me some roller-coasters sucka! I am not interested in the outdated ideas of being "cultured". I am interested in the present culture of Korea, and they love their amusement parks. So do I, which makes this part of my acculturation very easy.

Gyeongbokgung Palace Complex / September 28, 2009 by Tyler Wood

The palace complex is pretty big once you enter. It’s not as big as the Forbidden City or anything, but you could easily spend a few hours here wandering. I decided to take the less crowded side to start and see what I could catch. I went to the right. The back corridors are pretty neat and you can get the feel of really being there at the height of the Josean era. Behind the main attraction (I’ll get to that later) was the concubines quarters. It is just a complex of small rooms and bridges. I was alone, except one girl on her cell phone, while I was back there so that was pretty neat. I wandered all behind the main areas and saw the Princes quarters and the newer buildings, but I had to stop when I got to the middle of the complex.

63 building and Yeouido / September 27, 2009 by Tyler Wood

The 63 Building is on an island that used to be unused land but recently was the center of some of the major revitalization Seoul has been doing. It was a planned city called Yeouido (can you fit anymore vowels in that word?) The area is new and expensive, but it’s also right on the Han River and freshly designed with the emerging trend in Seoul of planning a lot of public space and park land. When I exited the Yeouinaru subway station (in case you want to visit), I wasn’t sure what to expect. You come out on a street, like many streets in Seoul, until you turn towards the river.